RHS Wisley is home to the largest plant collection in the world. We’re lucky it’s just a short drive from us as we regularly head there for a wander. Whatever time of year you visit, there’s always something to see in one of the numerous gardens. From the rocks and the alpine display houses to the 420ft mixed borders and woodland garden of Battleston Hill, the team work exceptionally hard to make Wisley an inspirational place you can’t help but return to. A favourite of the Doves is the state-of-the-art glasshouse with its three climatic zones. It’s a cathedral-like structure which covers an area the equivalent to 10 tennis courts and rises to 40ft in height. We’ll be there again soon to see exotic butterflies in the jungle-like tropical zone amid tree ferns, palms, creepers and flowers.
Earlier this month, I caught the end of their Jigantics light installation which consisted of giant illuminated flowers strategically placed in some of the gardens. With this being a light installation, and only having visited Wisley the month prior, I headed over at dusk. These botantical gems (created by Jigantics) looked pretty special and although I longed to capture them in the dark, the daisies towering above the rocks garden towards Bowles Corner were spectacular before the sun went down.
At Seven Acres we were treated to pink and cream lilies with lotus flowers that changed to hues of orange, blue, purple and green situated close by. It was amazing to watch these illuminated giants at Wisley, especially as more often than not I’m looking down capturing the flora and fauna. Towards the main restaurant was a fabulous lotus display, the area lit up with the reds, pinks and yellows. The canal and loggia was rather impressive too, lined on each side with huge red tulips.
Having oggled at the lotus flowers a little longer than I should (Wisley closes its doors at 5pm), I walked over to the conifer lawn to see the gerberas. Again these designed giants provided that brilliant pop of colour in an otherwise black sky. It’s not often you see exhibitions like this at Wisley, although they do have a lot on, so I guess that’s what made this pretty special. My final stop before heading home were the snowdrops which lined the entrance of Wisley in an arch above me. What a beautiful display it was, lets hope Wisley has these magical lit up flowers back again next year. We’ll be back soon to check out those butterflies!
